Create class
The first step to getting started with Magma
Creating a class is the first step to getting started with Magma. Log in to your teacher account and do the following:
Done! You have created the class.
Follow the same steps as above to create a new group. Groups can be used to create individualized learning journeys e.g., by dividing a class into smaller groups (or individual students) and differentiating assignments based on specific needs.
The next step is to add students to your class. Click here to learn how!
There are three ways to add students to a class. Either way, you first need to create the class, so make sure you have a class before continuing reading.
First, go to the Students tab (image 1) and click on the class or group you want to add students to (image 2). See below for the three ways to add students to a class or group. We recommend option 1, it is usually faster.
Option 1. Students join your class
Option 2. Add students manually
Option 3. Email us a class list
Please note that adding students to a class is a one-time procedure. A student should never have to create more than one account and they don't need to remember the class code.
The next step to get started with Magma is to create an assignment. Learn how here.
From your teacher account you can edit, share, and print your classes (or groups). To edit, share, or print a class, log in to your teacher account and do the following:
Edit class
Share class
You might want to let a colleague (e.g. if you share a class) or a temp teacher get access to your class.
Print class
From your teacher account, you can edit student accounts belonging to students in your class. The edits you can make are:
To edit a student account, do the following:
Assignments are central in the Magma world. An assignment in its simplest form is defined as a collection of problems given to a student/group/class.
To create an assignment, you first need to create a class and add students. Click here to learn how.
To create an assignment, follow the steps below. Don’t worry if the assignment doesn’t become perfect right away, you can go back and edit it later after the assignment is created.
Wow! Your assignment shows up in the list of assignments – you are done! Great work!
💪💪💪
Follow the steps below to sort, edit, share, print, and remove your assignment(s).
Already from the first time that you log into Magma a large amount of content is available for you and structured into books, chapters, and subchapters. These are available when you create a new assignment. There are however even more books that you can add yourself. Follow the steps below to browse and add available Magma books.
Magma provides rich, standards-aligned content, but we know that some educators love to come up with their own problems, and of course, we want to support and encourage that. Follow the steps below to create your own Magma problems.
The heatmap is the best way to quickly get an overview of student progress and achievement for a specific assignment. Follow the steps below to access and manage the student heatmap.
By studying the heatmap it is easy to identify problems that have caused the class more difficulty (maybe a good idea to solve a similar problem together) as well as students that need a bit of extra support with this specific assignment (image 4)
By clicking on the dropdown menu in the top right corner of the screen you can filter the assignment to only show students belonging to a certain class or group (image 5)
By clicking on the filter icon in the top right corner of the screen you can sort the students in the heatmap based on e.g., alphabetical order, randomized, etc. (image 6)
At Magma, we have a strong belief that math is best learned by hand. As a teacher, you get real-time access to handwritten student solutions – a source of deep insights into student misconceptions and a great resource to facilitate mathematical discourse. Follow the steps below to access and manage handwritten student solutions.
Click on the assignment for which you want to access hand-drawn student solutions (image 1)
By clicking on a cell in the heatmap you get an overview of all student solutions for that specific problem and by clicking on a student you get an overview of all solutions that the student has submitted for the selected assignment (images 2)
From here, there are several features that can be helpful to get the most out of hand-drawn student solutions
With the help queue in Magma, you are always only one click away from an overview of which students need help, what they need help with, and who’s next in line. This way you can make sure to provide the right help at the right time. Follow the steps below to access and manage the help queue.
With skills & assignment reports you have instant access to deeper insights into student and class achievement and progress.
Skills report
Each problem in Magma is mapped into one or more skills based on the skills that the problem is testing. The skills report provides an overview of student achievement on a specific assignment base on the skills tested in the assignment problems. Follow the steps below to access and manage skills reports.
Assignment report
Get deeper insights into student and class achievement on a specific assignment with assignment reports. The report covers the following aspects:
Follow the steps below to access and manage assignment reports.
In the student profile, you get an overview of an individual student's progress and achievement on all assignments that have been distributed to him or her.
Follow the steps below to access and manage student profiles.
The following dimensions are covered in the student profile (image 3):
At Magma we are obsessed with giving you the best experience when you are using the platform. Through our chat support you have a direct line to us, and we are never more than a minute or two away. So even if you are in the middle of class, you should always be able to rely on us to answer any questions and remove any obstacles to provide you with a smooth experience – it should be easy to succeed with Magma! Follow the steps below to access the chat support
The help center has the answers to most questions related to Magma. Watch videos, read instructions and search the FAQs. Follow the steps below to access the help center.
PS. If you don’t find the answer in the help center, don’t hesitate to write to us in the chat!
If you want to change any settings in your teacher account, this is the right place for you. Edit personal information, username, etc. Follow the steps below to access account settings.
Sometimes it can be helpful to work through an assessment before you distribute it to the students, or you want to show the students how you solve a specific problem. There are a couple of different ways to access the student view from your teacher account:
There are a few tips and tricks that are good to know when it comes to navigating problems in the student view
The canvas is the dominating and most important area of the student view (image 1). Here student can write their solutions and show their work just as with pen and paper! See below for a few tips and tricks related to the canvas.
Through the drawing feature box, students can use a range of features when drawing their solutions (image 2)
Click on the double arrow next to the problem area to expand canvas (image 3)
Do a pinching move with two fingers on the canvas to zoom in and out
As the name indicates the answer area is where students submit their answers to a problem. The answer area dominates the bottom part of the student view (image 1). See below for a few tips and tricks related to the answer area.
Students can submit their answers in two different ways
Click on the trash can icon to discard an answer (image 3)
Click on “Submit” to submit an answer
The student gets immediate feedback on the submitted answer. If the answer is incorrect, they are prompted to try again and for some problems receive a hint related to the mistake made (image 4)
At Magma we are on a mission to advance math equity and accessibility. There are several student view settings that support that mission.
Translation
Text-to-speech
Text size
There are a few additional settings in the student view that can be good to know. Read about them below.
Here you find a collection of Magma's most important features. This is all you need to know to get started!
